Roland E-20
Encyclopedia
The Roland E-20 is a keyboard instrument introduced by Roland
in 1988.
Described by Roland as an "Intelligent Synthesizer", the instrument was the first product of Roland Europe SpA, which had been set up after a takeover of the SIEL company of Italy
the previous year. The new venture was a strategic move by Roland to enter the lucrative high-end home keyboard market which had hitherto been dominated by Yamaha and Technics
.
Featuring auto accompaniment, and built in speakers the E-20 used the advanced LA Synthesis system as used on the legendary Roland D-50
its core sound engine. The E-20 set a new standard for the amateur keyboardist, with high-quality sounds, innovative drum patterns and backings which were widely recognised as being significantly more advanced than both Yamaha's PSR and Technics's KN instruments.
As well as the E-20 itself, the cheaper E-5 and E-10 were subsequently launched as "cut down" versions, while the enhanced E-30 debuted in 1990. There was also a modular version (the RA-50 Realtime Arranger), and the Pro-E Intelligent Arranger, which was basically half an E-20 minus speakers with only the arranger and drum unit.
In 1989 the German company Quasimidi
produced a popular retrofit upgrade kit that greatly expanded the capabilities of the keyboard. It doubled the number of sounds available from 64 to 128 by unlocking hidden patches previously only available via MIDI. It also doubled the number of user programs that could be stored and enabled the layering of two sounds in the right hand section. Another feature was the removal of the system exclusive control on the automatic accompaniment, allowing this to be controlled by other non-Roland keyboards.
Roland would go on to dominate the home keyboard market in the 1990s with subsequent generations of the E-series line, and would later introduce the closely related professional G-series line (the G-800, G-1000 and later, the G-70) as what were to become known as "arranger" keyboards began to gain acceptance and recognition within the professional user community. However, all of these products retain the same basic architecture of the E-20.
The current top-of-the-line E-Series keyboard is the E-80.
Roland Corporation
is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972, with ¥33 million in capital. In 2005 Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Today it has factories in Japan,...
in 1988.
Described by Roland as an "Intelligent Synthesizer", the instrument was the first product of Roland Europe SpA, which had been set up after a takeover of the SIEL company of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
the previous year. The new venture was a strategic move by Roland to enter the lucrative high-end home keyboard market which had hitherto been dominated by Yamaha and Technics
Technics (brand)
1960s:*SX-601 Electronic Organ — an origin of Technics SX keyboard series, the result of cooperative works of National Electronic Organ Company and Ace Tone...
.
Featuring auto accompaniment, and built in speakers the E-20 used the advanced LA Synthesis system as used on the legendary Roland D-50
Roland D-50
The Roland D-50 is a polyphonic 61-key synthesizer produced by Roland. It was released in 1987. Its features include Linear Arithmetic synthesis, on-board effects, a joystick for data manipulation, and an analog synthesis-styled layout design. The external Roland PG-1000 Programmer could also be...
its core sound engine. The E-20 set a new standard for the amateur keyboardist, with high-quality sounds, innovative drum patterns and backings which were widely recognised as being significantly more advanced than both Yamaha's PSR and Technics's KN instruments.
As well as the E-20 itself, the cheaper E-5 and E-10 were subsequently launched as "cut down" versions, while the enhanced E-30 debuted in 1990. There was also a modular version (the RA-50 Realtime Arranger), and the Pro-E Intelligent Arranger, which was basically half an E-20 minus speakers with only the arranger and drum unit.
In 1989 the German company Quasimidi
Quasimidi
Quasimidi Musikelektronik GmbH was a German synthesizer manufacturer. It was founded in 1987 by Friedhelm Haas and Jörg Reichstein. It was originally based in Kirchhain, but moved to Rauschenberg in 1998...
produced a popular retrofit upgrade kit that greatly expanded the capabilities of the keyboard. It doubled the number of sounds available from 64 to 128 by unlocking hidden patches previously only available via MIDI. It also doubled the number of user programs that could be stored and enabled the layering of two sounds in the right hand section. Another feature was the removal of the system exclusive control on the automatic accompaniment, allowing this to be controlled by other non-Roland keyboards.
Roland would go on to dominate the home keyboard market in the 1990s with subsequent generations of the E-series line, and would later introduce the closely related professional G-series line (the G-800, G-1000 and later, the G-70) as what were to become known as "arranger" keyboards began to gain acceptance and recognition within the professional user community. However, all of these products retain the same basic architecture of the E-20.
The current top-of-the-line E-Series keyboard is the E-80.
Generations of Roland Home Keyboards
- First Generation (Produced 1988-1991)
- E-5, E-10, E-20, E-30
- RA-50, Pro-E Arranger
- Second Generation (Produced 1991-1993)
- E-15, E-35, E-40 OR, E-70
- RA-90
- Third Generation (Produced 1993-1996)
- E-16, E-16 TR, E-36, E-56, E-66, E-86
- RA-95
- Fourth Generation (Produced 1995/6 - 1998)
- E-12, E-14, E-14 TR-OR, E-28, E-38, E-68, E-96, G-600, G-800
- RA-30, RA-800
- Fifth Generation (Produced 1998 - 2001)
- EM-1b, EM-7b, EM-10, EM-20, EM-30, EM-50, EM-50 OR, EM-2000, G-1000
- E-300, E-500, E-500 OR, E-600
- Sixth Generation (Produced 2001 - 2005)
- EM-15, EM-15 OR, EM-25, EM-55, EM-55 OR
- VA-3, VA-5, VA-7, VA-76
- E-100, E-200, EXR-3, EXR-5, EXR-GR5, EXR-7, EXR-40 OR
- EXR-3s, EXR-5s, EXR-7s
- Seventh Generation (Produced 2005 - 2009)
- G-70, E-50, E-60, E-80
- EXR-46 OR, EXR-E2
- GW-7, E-09/W
- Eighth Generation (Produced 2010 - 20..)
- GW-8, Prelude